Our first place entry into the 2017 SSEF Architecture Competition, hosted by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, was designed around the competition’s theme of Assembly. The project uses the idea of assembly in both the structural and social definitions as a launching point for both the detailed aspects of the design and the social commentary.

We chose to design an incomplete bridge in the DMZ between North and South Korea, to accentuate the current divide between the two countries caused by their political differences. This precarious relationship is reflected in the transparent decking and the delicate balance of the structure. The deck and structure are designed with pins and hinges, so that the whole assembly is imagined to be able to be brought together to complete the bridge, whether through a change in political ideology or simply through the breaking down of the structure over time.